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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643077">Too Close I Cannot Breathe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15'>SilenceIsGolden15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voltron Oneshots [63]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Addiction, Buried Alive, Claustrophobia, Compulsion, Dreams and Nightmares, Fear, Gen, Horror, Hurt Keith (Voltron), I don't have good tags for this man, Kinda, Mind Control, Nightmares, Transformation, Trauma, Worried Shiro (Voltron), the magnus archives au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:13:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,008</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643077</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Earth still hungers. A sequel to the Lost and the Lingering.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Allura &amp; Keith (Voltron), Keith &amp; Shiro (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Voltron Oneshots [63]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/979428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Too Close I Cannot Breathe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For anyone who hasn't finished Magnus yet, this fic does contain spoilers, read at your own risk. For everyone who hasn't listened to Magnus at all, I tried my best to explain without making it a wall of information. Have fun</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“End recording.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura sat back in her chair with a sigh. It was only about eleven in the morning, but she was already tired. She was tired a lot, these days. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment to collect herself from the emotional roller coaster that reading statements caused, she sat forward again and ejected the tape from the recorder. She reached for her stick on labels, but before her fingers touched them there was a small knock at her office door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come in, Pidge,” she said, the knowledge slipping so easily into her mind that she didn’t even notice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lock clicked as Pidge opened the door. Allura spun her chair around. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pidge looked as tired as Allura felt, as they all did. Despite the bags under her eyes, Pidge still looked tense, on guard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Receptionist called,” answered Pidge, keeping one hand on the doorknob to twist as she spoke. “Some guy is upstairs. Says he won’t leave ‘til he talks to the Archivist.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura inhaled sharply. The answer was there, pushing to be known, but she resisted. She didn’t want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>know-- </span>
  </em>
  <span>not like that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who is it?” she asked instead, only to get a shrug in response. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They didn’t say.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” Allura reached up and smoothed her hair before standing. “I’ll go investigate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll get Lance and Hunk,” Pidge said. “Just in case.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura nodded to her, then Pidge stood aside to let Allura leave the office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment she stepped out of the Archives she knew who it was. She didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but that distinctive splotch of white hair was very memorable. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shiro?” she asked half to herself, but even so his head snapped up. “Takashi Shirogane?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His previously stony expression melted into a mixture of relief and lingering dread, and he abandoned his chosen sticking post in front of the receptionist’s desk to move in her direction. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been two years since he was freed from the Spider Cave. In that time he’d gotten more muscled, less atrophied than he had been, and his hair was shorn short, except for the white streak that made a small fluff over his forehead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the Archivist, right?” he asked quietly once he reached her. Up close it was easier to see the signs of stress pressed into his skin. “You’re the ones that were with Keith in the cave, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we were there,” replied Allura. It was a long, long time ago, before any of them knew what was out there. Before they knew what had truly happened in that cave. “Why? Have you come to give your statement?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not exactly.” Shiro shifted anxiously on his feet and glanced over his shoulder. “Can we talk somewhere else? I feel like we’re being watched.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>God help her, but Allura almost laughed. If only he knew how true that statement was. “We can go down to the Archives, but I can’t promise that feeling will go away.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro frowned, making the lines in his face deepen, but didn’t say anything as Allura turned and gestured for him to follow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They descended the stairs together. The others were lying in wait at the bottom of the staircase, but as soon as she and Shiro came into view the hostility on their faces was replaced by confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on, Allura?” asked Lance, a protective undertone to his words that prompted a reassuring smile from her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing, yet,” she said. “We’ll know more shortly.” There was pressure against her skull, reminding her that she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>now, but again she resisted. She didn’t need to resort to that, Shiro was perfectly capable of telling her himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still feeling the watchful gaze (ha) of the others on her back, she led Shiro into her office-- they’d long since stopped bothering with the formal interrogation room. They’d abandoned all pretense of professionality, really. That’s not what the Institute really was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have a seat,” she told Shiro as she shut the door. But when she turned he was still standing, a grave look on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keith is missing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura paused in surprise, but only for a moment before lowering herself into her seat. She didn’t immediately answer, instead leaning over to make sure the tape had turned itself on; it had. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You remember him, don’t you?” Shiro pressed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course she remembered him. She saw him in her dreams during what scant sleep she could manage to get. Watching him struggle and scream while the stone held him captive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” she said simply as she pulled the tape recorder closer to them. “Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll take your statement.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not here to give a statement.” When Allura looked up, she found a stormy glare directed back at her, and the body it was attached to was drawn taut like a bowstring. Heat crept into his voice as he continued. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something strange is happening-- has been happening, to both of us. And I know you know what it is.” He paused, then added, “I don’t know how I know, but I do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura took a bracing breath. “You’re probably right,” she admitted. “We probably do know something about it. But before we can fix anything, you need to tell me what’s been happening.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro frowned, but eventually sank into the seat on the other side of the desk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura sat back and made herself comfortable. In her eagerness for a new statement, more filling than the old, stale ones she’d been confining herself to, she let a tinge of compulsion creep into her words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whenever you’re ready.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro held back for half a beat more, then the floodgates opened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The last two years have been hard. I told you I didn’t remember what happened during my year in the cave, and that was true, I don’t. But I still have nightmares. I’m being buried alive, there’s an immense weight on top of me, crushing, and there’s dirt filling my nose and my throat until I can’t breathe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stuttered for a moment, then cleared his throat. Allura listened intently, drinking it all in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keith has nightmares, too. His are of the cave, still being trapped, still not breathing, but different. He said that sometimes he saw you there, watching.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro’s eyes widened, surprised he’d let that detail slip, but Allura didn’t care. She already knew that particular secret, and surprise wouldn’t be enough to stop him from finishing his statement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And the claustrophobia is so bad. Keith can’t stand having the doors or the windows closed, we have to leave lights on at night, and for the first six months after I got back we couldn’t be separated or one of us would just… panic. And I still dissociate a lot-- it still doesn’t make sense to me that I was in there for a year. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we were getting better. Both of us. We have jobs, we’re going to therapy; I even went on a couple of dates. But then, about a month ago, Keith started sleepwalking. Not far at first. The first time he only made it to his bedroom door before he woke up. Then he started getting further-- the hallway, the kitchen; one night he almost went out the front door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was strange, but I figured it was some sort of trauma thing. We scheduled a sleep study. Then, last week…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was shaking now, staring through Allura in blatant terror. Allura felt it, too, and that terrible part of her that was no longer human reveled in it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I woke up in the morning and he wasn’t in his bed. I found him a few minutes later-- he was outside in the backyard, up to his elbows in dirt from the hole he was digging with his bare hands. He didn’t respond to his name. He just kept digging until I physically walked over and jostled him awake. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was dreaming. I asked what about, and all he said was, ‘The Sunken Sky’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That broke Allura out of her trance, if only a little, and her heart sank. She had hoped Keith and Shiro’s escape had been complete, but she’d always had the suspicion that it hadn’t been. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This morning was the same-- I woke up and Keith was gone. But this time I couldn’t find him. He was nowhere in the house, his shoes and wallet were still there, so was the car and his motorcycle. I called the police, but even though they said they would look, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong-- like what happened in the cave. So I figured, if I was right, then you guys would be able to help him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His far away expression became beseeching as his eyes focused back on Allura. “So? Can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Letting out a long breath, Allura purposefully made herself sit back again, having unconsciously leaned in while listening. It was amazing how much a recent statement helped-- she felt stronger than she had in weeks. Even so, she still rejected the urge to </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>exactly what had happened beyond Shiro’s words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, we can.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro visibly relaxed, murmuring, “Thank God.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” Allura said, reaching for a slip of paper and a pen. “Leave your contact information, and if we find something--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura paused and looked up at him. He’d become stone again, a deep seated determination shining in his eyes that filled her with dread. She really didn’t want to worry about a civilian while trying to figure this out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to know what’s going on,” Shiro continued, gradually returning to himself after the statement. “I need to know-- why is this happening to us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura cringed, anxiously drumming her nails on the desktop. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s… a long story…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give me the Cliffnotes, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Damnit. She really wasn’t going to get rid of him, was she?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura sighed and accepted her fate. She could only hope Shiro wouldn’t lose all confidence in them during the explanation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… how do I begin? There are-- let’s call them entities, in this world. Not completely within it, but close. These entities are essentially the manifestations of human fear. They can exert some force on our world, and by doing so they can feed on the fear they cause and grow stronger. Are you following me so far?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro nodded. His expression gave nothing away, so short of </span>
  <em>
    <span>knowing, </span>
  </em>
  <span>all Allura could do was keep going. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We believe that your experience in the Spider Cave was a manifestation of one of the entities. We call it the Buried-- claustrophobia, the fear of being crushed, buried alive, things being so close that you can’t breathe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro’s eyes narrowed, but otherwise he didn’t react. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In general, there are two ways a fear entity will interact with humanity. Usually it treats a human being as a meal, manifesting and feeding on their fear. Sometimes they survive, other times they don’t. I think this is what happened during your missing year-- the Buried took and held you to feed on you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that why I didn’t die?” Shiro asked, finally responding. “It wouldn’t let me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More or less.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t seem pleased by that, but didn’t say anything else, letting Allura continue. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The other way is when a power sees itself in a person. Most of the time the person will feel a sort of affinity to the power; often they’re still afraid, but part of them also wants to be part of it. When this happens the entity can bestow some of its power on them, and they can use those abilities to spread the influence of the entity. We call those people avatars.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Shiro said without missing a beat, “You think the Buried took Keith because it wants him to be an avatar?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura couldn’t help it-- she gaped at him for a few seconds before recovering herself. It wasn’t often she encountered someone this open to the whole idea of what were essentially gods of fear making people have spooky encounters, but then again he had spent an entire year in a cave without remembering any of it. He’d probably accept any explanation he was offered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s exactly what I think. He got away from the Buried during your initial encounter, and the remaining trauma from the event would’ve satisfied it. But then he kept going back into the cave, over and over again, to look for you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro pressed his lips into a thin line. “He got its attention.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded back, mentally surprised that he was catching on so quickly. “That’s probably why it gave you back. To see what he would do. And now its bringing the whole saga to a close.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once again, Shiro showed no hint of hesitation as he asked, “How do we stop it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tapped her nails on the table and eyed the tape recorder. It was still running. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With many avatars there is… a moment of choice.” At this Allura had to repress the urge to shift uncomfortably in her seat; she didn’t like to think about her own moment, trapped in an endless loop of dreams and statements, too inhuman to die but too human to continue. “Oftentimes the other option is death. Some choose it, I’m sure, but they’re not the ones that come back to give us statements.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro’s gaze turned searching. Then, after barely a moment's pause, “You’re one too, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.” Allura hoped her voice didn’t sound as tremulous as it felt when she answered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel her composure wobbling, but she refused to let it collapse. Keith didn’t have time for her identity crisis. “The Eye. Also called Beholding. The fear that someone is watching you, that someone knows your secrets.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro nodded a bit to himself. He didn’t say anything more for another minute or so, probably processing. Allura let him, not moving or saying a word until he stood up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do we need to do?”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure about this, Allura?” Lance looked wary, sizing Shiro up. Trust was a rare commodity these days, hard earned and not easily given away. “How do we know he’s telling the truth?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura frowned at him. “Because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked </span>
  </em>
  <span>him, Lance.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He understood the emphasis, but didn’t look comforted. Pidge was the next to speak up, wondering aloud, “We’ve already got three other fears stalking us, I don’t think we should piss off another one and make it four.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree,” chimed in Hunk. “Plus, we don’t even know for sure where he is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The logical assumption would be the Spider Cave,” Allura answered, perhaps rather primly, but she was getting frustrated. “The Buried isn’t exactly known for its unpredictability.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>that?” responded Lance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m not going to waste energy on that when I might need it when we go down there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘When’,” Pidge scoffed, but was talked over by Hunk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I really need to point out that going into a cave while the Buried is focused there is a really, really bad idea?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve had worse ones.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others still looked reluctant, and though she was irate, Allura couldn’t blame them. They had all had to learn how to be pragmatic in order to survive. Hardened. Some might say cold. But she wasn’t going to let this one go-- she may not be entirely human anymore, but she wasn’t about to let go of her moral compass. Not yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro spoke before she could. “I’m not asking the rest of you to come. I’ll go on my own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Allura said quickly while sounds of derision and exasperation came from the others. “No, you’re not. That’s an easy way to get yourself killed.” She studied his expression, mentally weighing how likely he would be to back down and leave Keith to his fate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hard glitter in Shiro’s eyes said </span>
  <em>
    <span>not bloody likely. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll go with you,” she said at last. “The rest of you can decide for yourselves, but decide quickly. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without another word or glance back Allura turned on her heel and marched back into her office, grabbing a bag and tossing one of the tape recorders into it. Not a strictly necessary action, as one of them probably would have appeared anyway, but it was mostly to buy time for her assistants to make their decisions. On a whim, she paused to dig through the various boxes of files until she found the one from the day of Shiro’s rescue. Who knew-- the data might come in handy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she re-emerged from the room she found all three of them gathered around the stairs with Shiro, wearing their jackets along with some decidedly sour expressions. Even so, Allura felt a smile grow on her lips. She knew they’d always come around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro, however, was looking grim and pale, which reminded Allura that they were running on borrowed time. The longer it took them to find him, the greater the chances were that Keith would either give in to the Buried or be consumed by it-- they had to move fast. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So, after digging them out of her pocket, Allura tossed the car keys to Pidge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re driving.” </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Compared to their last trip, the group arrived at Carlsbad Caverns in the blink of an eye (heh). By then night had fallen, leaving the desert cloaked in velvet darkness and quiet shadows. The perimeter of the park was fenced and guarded, of course, but it wasn’t difficult for Allura to </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>their routes and avoid them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The walk to the entrance of the Spider Cave was tense and silent. The only sounds were the slight crunch of their footsteps and the rustle of the wind through the dead desert grass… until Lance broke it with a soft murmur. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you been back here since?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura glanced over her shoulder. He was walking alongside Shiro, watching their feet on the ground, while Shiro stared resolutely ahead like his neck had been welded in place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he said simply, and Lance nodded to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you scared?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro’s lip twitched. “I don’t think I know enough about the situation to be afraid of any one thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not an answer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lance gave a little hum, and after that fell silent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s incredible how much circumstance can tinge your view of a place. The first time they’d gone to the caverns she’d felt awed. Awed and humbled. But now, in the dark with only a few flashlights, without any sort of climbing gear or supplies whatsoever, and knowing that someone’s humanity hung in the balance, all Allura could feel was that creeping dread that had become so common. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they reached the hole in the ground that marked the entrance. It looked like a black hole, or the gateway to an abyss, but to their credit none of them faltered. One by one the team slipped into the cave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their flashlights carved golden beams through the shadows. If the ground overhead had been quiet, the atmosphere in the cave was almost smothering in its stillness and silence. Allura could already feel the weight of the Buried here, pressing down on her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t matter. The pressure couldn’t hide Keith-- not from her. The moment she set foot in the cave, Allura </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>where he was. He was in the center, far from the entrance, but not as prohibitively deep inside as the Ghost Room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You got him, Allura?” Pidge dared to ask, breath barely stirring the air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Stay close.”</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Keith was having a nightmare. That’s what it had to be-- the all consuming darkness, the grit grinding between his teeth, the rough texture of stone on every limb as it pressed in on him-- of course it had to be a nightmare. He told himself this, desperately, over and over, but could never quite convince himself it was true. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In his nightmares, there were no aches from muscles forced into the same position for hours. In his nightmares, his throat never grew hoarse from the screams he managed to get out when the dirt receded. In his nightmares, the Archivist was always there, watching. He used to hate her for that; how she just stood there and watched with those eyes that seemed just a little bit too big and never blinked. Now, though, he was missing that reassurance. Without her being there he couldn’t say for sure that this wasn’t real. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt real. Especially the fear. He could feel every inch of the miles of dirt and rock above him, almost like the entire Earth was pressing down on him all at once. He should’ve broken under it by now, his bones should’ve cracked and his lungs crushed, but he was never granted that escape. The pressure just kept building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t scream anymore. The dirt was back, flooding in until all he could taste was dust. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t hear. Couldn’t move. He was choking-- half on fear and half on sand that turned to mud in his mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But all of that wasn’t the scariest thing to him then. No, the thing that scared Keith the most was the part of himself that he could feel opening up to let all the heavy, choking earth in. Most of him was terrified, but this part was in love. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was who he was before the Spider Cave. Calmed by the soft darkness, soothed by the cool air, heartbeat and breathing slowed under the weight against his body. The version of him who ran into the Earth’s embrace and let her hold him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fought it as best he could. No matter what his father had told him, he couldn’t trust the center anymore. Not after it took Shiro from him. But the longer he was stuck, curled up into a tiny ball in whatever tomb had formed around him, the weaker his resolve got. If he raised his eyes in the direction he was pretty sure was up, he wouldn’t see sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d only see earth. Miles and miles of Earth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, he did it again. He strained his eyes against the dark, desperately searching for any sign of salvation. A sliver of light, a glimpse of space, anything. He was just about to despair when he heard a sharp </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound wracked through his whole body, and for a half second Keith thought it was the sound of one of his bones finally giving way under the pressure. But, no, it was just a sound, emanating from somewhere in front of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It came again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack, crack, crack, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and a shard of yellow light fell across his face, making his vision erupt with dancing colors. He opened his mouth to scream, but he still couldn’t make a sound.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was still too much earth in his throat. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Even without Allura’s otherworldly knowledge, it wouldn’t have been too difficult to deduce where Keith was once they were in the general vicinity. The rock formation holding him was thin on the top and bottom and round in the middle, more like a caterpillar’s cocoon than a stalagmite. She’d been expecting something more like a sarcophagus, but she supposed that the cocoon was more fitting imagery. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s in there?” Hunk asked, his voice cracking. Allura opened her mouth to answer, but before any words escaped Shiro was already stepping forward, pulling the large flashlight she carried out of her hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, without ceremony, he turned it around and slammed the handle against the rock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All of them started at the loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack </span>
  </em>
  <span>the action made, and Pidge yipped, “Dude, be careful with that!”, but Shiro wasn’t deterred. He did it again, and again, and on the fourth strike the stone crumbled and fell away, revealing a hollow interior with a surprisingly thin wall of rock around it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inside the hollow was Keith, his body curled up into the absolute smallest space possible, covered head to toe in so much dirt his hair looked brown instead of black. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro dropped the flashlight. It bounced and rolled a few feet away, making the beam dance and scatter the shadows on the uneven cave walls as he began tearing out chunks of rock with his bare hands, freeing Keith from his prison inch by inch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other three immediately rushed in to assist. Allura hung back, carefully peering around at the cave walls. For all of her powers and advantages, they were still on the Buried’s turf, as it were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds later a peal of harsh coughing drew her eye back to the team of rescuers. Shiro and Hunk had just hauled Keith out of the cocoon, and as she watched they lowered him to the ground to lean against Shiro’s shoulder, all while he seemed to cough his lungs out. There were streaks of mud through the dirt on his cheeks where tears had fallen, and more was dripping from his lips as he tried to breathe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tried, and was failing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiro was thumping him firmly on the back, trying to help get the grit out, and Hunk was positioning himself for a Heimlich, but that wasn’t the problem. They couldn’t see what she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>see; </span>
  </em>
  <span>absolute unreasoning terror. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In two steps she was before him. Kneeling down, Allura seized Keith’s chin in one hand and jerked his face up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Open your eyes.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He did. His pupils were dilated so wide they nearly consumed his iris, struggling to focus on anything around him. But they locked onto Allura all too easily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What do you see?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Keith’s chest heaved. Up this close Allura could </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>everything inside him, every thought, every feeling, everything that made him who he was-- including the part of him that yearned for Choke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...you.” His voice was so hoarse and quiet that it was almost inaudible. But not to her. “You. The Archivist. And your… you’re all eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do not give in,” Allura instructed firmly, even as she felt the wary gazes of the others landing on her. “Do you understand?” She shoved the knowledge into Keith’s mind with all her strength-- the knowledge of what it meant to be an avatar, what he would become, what he would be expected to do in service of his patron. Under the dirt his face went pale, and he shuddered so hard Allura lost her grip on him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But she backed off. Keith had seen what he needed to see, and now his breathing was beginning to slow and even. Lance and Pidge exchanged a wary look, unsure of whether or not to drop their guards, while Shiro pulled Keith in to a hug fierce enough to rival the one they’d shared two years before in the very same cave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Allura,” Lance asked in a low voice. “Is it over?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura dug through her bag and pulled out the tape recorder. The tape had stopped. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I think it is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pidge gave herself a shake. “In that case, we should probably get above ground and book it for the ER.” She waved a hand in Keith’s direction, indicating the red of scraped skin and forming bruises on his arms and legs. “Those look pretty nasty.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As lost in his emotions as he was, Shiro still heard her. After a cursory wiping away of his own tears, he and Hunk looped Keith’s arms over their shoulders and stood, splitting his weight between them. Pidge ran to collect Allura’s thrown flashlight, and Lance sidled a bit closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He still looked tired, but there was a bit more life in his eyes. Bending down, he whispered two words in her ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good job.” </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Needless to say, the doctors at the local hospital were baffled to encounter one of the first cases of dust pneumonia since the days of the Dust Bowl in the middle of their night shift. Even so it didn’t take long for Keith to be admitted and stabilized, and by the time dawn began to tinge the horizon things had, by and large, settled down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the hall outside Keith’s room her assistants had formed a kind of dog pile on one of the benches, draped all over each other in the hopes of catching a few minutes of sleep before they had to return to the Archives. Shiro, after being reassured by Allura that she wouldn’t leave Keith alone, had gone down the hall to get himself some much deserved caffeine. Leaving her and Keith alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Honestly, she thought he was sleeping. So it was understandable how she jumped when he suddenly said her name. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus,” she breathed out as she turned to face him, a hand planted over her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She couldn’t die from a heart attack, of course, but it was the principle of the thing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Keith didn’t smile. He still seemed to be dissociating a great deal, which Allura was sympathetic to. At a certain point disconnecting was the only way to endure. But his eyes, as they focused on her, were clear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t bother with lead up. He simply asked, “Will the nightmares go away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A bolt of painful sympathy went through Allura’s chest. If only anything were that easy, or the world that kind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Some of them will,” she answered after a moment to gather her composure. “You won’t see the Sunken Sky anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I’ll still see you?” It was said more like a statement than a question, but still Allura nodded, and Keith pressed his lips into a stubborn line. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do I even want to know what the Sunken Sky was?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I let you see a lot, but I held that back on purpose. Going looking for the answers will only bring bad things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Keith’s turn to nod, this time in graven understanding. Then, much more quietly, he added, “Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allura mustered up a tired smile. “You’re welcome.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Honestly I don't even associate Keith with the Buried but the Buried is my favorite and I make the laws here</p></blockquote></div></div>
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